There are history museums where pieces of history are displayed in modern, sheet-rocked buildings with A/C and automatic doors. And then there are house museums, where artifacts are shown in small, 19th-century rooms where they might have been found in the first place, in someone's home or business in the center of a quaint New England village.I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the better part of a week perusing the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. But for a quick afternoon trip into the past, you can't beat the house museum down the road. And we're lucky in New England, cause there are lots of them. But most are only open through early- to mid-October, so you'd better hurry and put on your driving gloves. It's time to discover the golden nuggets of local history hidden on the Main Streets and side-streets throughout Vermont.The "Historic House Museums in Vermont" website, put together by the Victorian Preservation Assocation, is an excellent tool for planning your tour: http://www.vpa.org/museumsvm.html.

Amanda Kuhnert

A blog about personal and family history — why it's important to share and save our stories, and ideas and inspiration to lead you through the process. You'll also find links to history-related websites, videos, and articles here as well.